Boy with inoperable brain tumor asks for cards for his birthday, thousands flood in


Danny Nickerson is turning 6 on July 25, and for the price of a Forever stamp, strangers can make his birthday wish come true.
Last October, Danny was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a cancer resistant to chemotherapy. His mother, Carley, told KABC that doctors said less than 10 percent of children with this type of cancer live more than 18 months. "I don't really believe in that," she said. "He is doing great. Every day is a blessing for us."
Because of his illness, Danny had to leave kindergarten. He gets lonely, his family said, and one of the highlights of his day is going to the mailbox; now that he can read his name, he looks for it on all of the pieces of mail delivered to his family. On Facebook, Carley shared her son's love for receiving mail, and mentioned that he would be thrilled to get cards addressed to him for his birthday.
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Since then, Danny has received 1,000 cards from across the world, with thousands more promising on Facebook to send a little something in time for his birthday. For information on how to send a card to Danny, visit the Danny’s Warriors Facebook page.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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